My dad taught me how to drive when I was about 8 or 9 yrs. old. The vehicle was an old pick-up truck that belonged to my grandpa. The time was around 1953 and the truck was already old; it was black with lots of chrome and a weird sounding horn. The steering wheel had a knob on it. Of course, it was stick shift; dirt roads and ditches were the challenges.

My dad was very patient and didn’t mind the stalling and screeching when I changed gears; at least he didn’t show it. So, after several weekends and near misses (ditches…some pretty deep), I finally got the hang of it, sort of. His advice was: let’s wait until you’re a little older.

I do wish I had a picture of the pick-up.  I don’t know what happened to the truck but it sure was awesome driving it.

As for my first car, I was 20 yrs old when I bought it. It was a Toyota Corona; beige and boring; automatic transmission. I couldn’t drive it on the freeway because it would shake when the speed reached 55mph. I could not drive it on inclines because it would not go past 30mph. So I drove it to work through the flat streets of L. A. until I got rid of it.

I ain’t got much, just a whole lot of good memories. Here’s one thing: my dad wore white linen pants in the summer, I had to make sure the car seat was clean. The things that come to mind after so many years.  Thanks for that.